IAN'S DRUM

The creative process definitely makes me happy. I am a lifelong crafter whether it be sewing, gluing, stitching, weaving, stamping, beading, or painting. I like to challenge and stretch the creative side of my brain whenever I can as I explore new mediums, techniques, and ideas. I also like to create pieces that are unique, special, and one-of-a-kind. In doing so, I’ve learned the value of using quality materials so the piece will last. Finally, I get a huge sense of accomplishment when a piece is complete. However, with all that being said, the hours I spent beading Ian’s Drum taught me that creating my happiness involves more than just the creative process.

I was born into a military family and we moved pretty regularly, so it wasn’t until high school that I was “still” long enough to make two of the best friends of my lifetime Patty and Tom. After college, Patty and Tom married and had 2 beautiful children—Alex and Katie. As their “coitka” (polish word for aunt) and to honor their birth, I decided to design and bead them both a Christmas ornament.

I made Alex a star ornament. It had gold seed and bugle beads with gold edging, a felt back, and stuffed with fiberfill. I repeated the star design from the outside in and used complimentary shades of gold to give the ornament texture. For Katie, I designed a dove ornament using white and silver seed and bugle beads with silver edging, a silver lamé back, and stuffed with fiberfill. I used the bugle beads in such a way that they resembled feathers on the dove’s wing and tail. The finished ornaments glittered and sparkled and these have been the first ornaments put upon the Christmas tree every year since then.

In 1999, Patty and Tom decided to honor Patty’s mother, Judith (who had passed away from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) eight years prior and left Patty a small inheritance) and Tom’s brother, Ian (who had recently passed away from non-hodgkins lymphoma) by adopting a third child. Pretty soon, baby Ian joined the family.

It didn’t take long for me to decide on the nature of Ian’s ornament -- A drum. Tom’s brother, baby Ian’s namesake, loved playing the drums. In fact, when Ian (the elder) was a Freshman and I was a Senior at Crockett High School, we were on the drum line together. So, a drum ornament for baby Ian seemed infinitely fitting.

At about the same time though, I was accepted to graduate school and my world became all about studying. Then, later, it became all about work. The drum ornament would have to wait until things settled down. Not surprisingly, years slipped like water through my fingers and before I knew it, 20 years had passed. Ian’s Drum had been at the top of every to-do list but I could never quite carve out the time to immerse myself in its creation like I had the star and the dove.

In the meantime, Ian had grown up and become a smart funny, strong, and creative young man. He followed in the footsteps of his namesake and played the drums in High School. He was studying at UT San Antonio when the pandemic changed the world in 2020.

The apprehensiveness that everyone felt during the first few months of the pandemic was bad enough, but then I was laid off in July. At first, I felt angry, hurt, and betrayed by my employer of 6 years who rubbed salt in the wound by misspelling my name on the paperwork. But after a while, I began to realize I’d been given an incredible gift. I had TIME! Time had been a currency practically more valuable than money since graduate school. I had time to paint the bathroom that had been several different tester shades of orange for years. I had time to fix the hole in the garage, made when I yanked on an extension cord too hard. I finally had time to finish the retaining wall behind the house. I made a list of everything I couldn’t seem to get done because of work and at the top of the list, as always, was Ian’s Drum.

By mid-October I had beads everywhere, needles, lots of threaders, scissors, and a good craft light in place. I wanted more sophisticated colors for this design to represent the man Ian had become so I used silver, teal, gold, and black for the drum’s shell. The drum’s shape was more complex, too, than the star and the dove. Because drums are cylindrical, the piece would need to have the illusion of a third dimension—depth. To achieve perspective I curved its lines and tapered the shell’s pattern toward the horizon as I worked from the middle toward the edges. The silver beads in the shell were especially trying because they reflected a lot of light into my eyes which was blinding at times. I learned to stop every 6 hours or so and take a picture of my work to see what the naked eye might have missed. I selected a thick, dark, teal wool fabric to back the piece and, by early December, I was using 2 craft lights and a magnifying glass to finish the edges in gold. Even with all the pandemic shipping delays, I finished Ian’s Drum in time for it to be delivered to Ian before Christmas.

The characteristics I appreciate in the creative process were all present as I worked on Ian’s Drum: I was challenged, it was a special, one-of-a kind piece, I used quality materials, I believe it will last a lifetime, and I feel a huge sense of accomplishment. However, I think Gestalt was right when he theorized that the whole can be greater than the sum of its parts. In this case, something beautiful was made greater because it was also infused with inspiration, remembrance, and love. As I reflect on prior projects, I can also see the intentions and feelings that drove them to be something more than mere materials. Is it possible that I really create my happiness in the creative process through the passion, emotion, and sincerity that enrich each piece? Yes, I can see that. But I have to admit it felt great to mark Ian’s Drum off my to-do list.